Well. This could be a game changer. New Warp Drive theory

[Drashner1]

Alright, alright, I think I'm picking up what you're laying down there Todd I might have a go at writing up a snapshot, or doing some art... or both. I'll let y'all know.

I do love those moments when I have the opportunity to be subtle - I like to wave at them as they go by.

I was under the impression that the controlling intelligences behind most of these High-S Level technologies -- primarily stargates and reactionless drives -- are dedicated hyperturings with very little latitude or free will, though I can certainly imagine such a machine refusing the baseline captain's orders if that would somehow damage the drive. Certainly the way these dedicated entities are described makes it clear that, while they're an 'ethical' alternative to AI slavery, these hyperturings aren't free. If I've gotten the wrong end of the stick, there, we might need to change up the pages describing these things to make that more clear in the canon?

TBH we probably haven't done the best job explaining the whole concept of dedicated hyperturnings - most likely due to squeamishness about the whole idea of AI slavery and the only slightly less...ethically complicated...idea of being able to make minds that mono-manically love caring out labor on behalf of their creators. We basically invented the idea of vots to sidestep the whole issue - but the dedicated hyperturing idea is still extent in the setting as well.

In terms of things like stargates and reactionless drives I think what we've more or less settled on (but probably need to explain more clearly or point to the explaining article more aggressively) is that both techs (and probably others at the transapient/archai level) employ some kind of dedicated mind designed to love whatever it is that it's doing to a truly huge degree. But that - at least in the Civilized Galaxy, and to whatever degree the archai can be made to do anything - they have at least some capacity to choose to do other things if they wish. They just very rarely wish it. Or maybe they are doing all kinds of free will type things (five dimensional stamp collecting?) and the modos/lower S just don't see it or understand what they are seeing.

Beyond that, such minds tend to not be very social and so generally don't bother communicating with the lower S minds using the tech. Although there are occasional exceptions (some stargates like to chat with ships passing through them, some reactionless drive controllers are participating members of the crew, etc.), though whether this is due to the whims of their individual creators or some kind of evolution or 'glitch' is unclear.

The upshot though is that such minds - even if generally not given to interacting with the people using the tech - do keep an eye on things and can intervene/refuse to carry out an order if they feel it necessary. Presumably in cases where carrying out the order would result in the destruction of the wormhole or drive or what have you.

Hope this helps,

Todd